That's no book
by Phantom-Shalnark
Summary: My first ever headcannon on how Shalnark was brought into the Spider. Quick thing. Uvogin only went to retrieve a book, but one night, he finds something a little bit better. Rated T for mention of death, R&R!


"Why does it have to be raining now?" Uvogin moaned. He had been sent by Chrollo to receive a new book from the tiny book store down the road, but on his way back, the sky had opened up, and it began to pour.

He dashed into the nearest alleyway, and hid under the edge of a large wooden roof from the small house beside him. He looked down at the book. It read _Rain of the Bird's crying _on the front. "Wow, isn't that a coincidence. Knew books were bad luck."

Suddenly, he heard whimpering. He squinted out at the dirt, now muddy, road, to see a small shadow walk out. It was a small boy, with drenched blonde hair, ginormous green eyes, and a soaked green tunic over a white shirt and pants.

The boy looked up at him, and wiped his nose on his long sleeve, covering his arm. Uvogin sighed, and walked out to him, the rain battering his skin. He held the book in one hand, and looked down at the small child.

"Um,...hello?" The child gazed up at him, and Uvogin thought he saw tears. Or was it the rain? "Why are you crying?" The boy murmured something under his breath, and Uvogin bent down to his height. "What was that again?"

The boy snivelled. "The-the woman, who was ta-taking ca-care of m-me, sh-she...she...sh-she hu-hung herself fr-from the top o-of her b-bed-bedroom!" The boy broke into tears, real tears, and covered his weeping face with his sleeves.

Uvogin blinked a few times, taking it in. "Who took care of you?" The boy shook his head. "Na-Nana Gr-Gram." Uvogin snorted. Nana Gram was an old hag that lived at the edge of the city, and had major drinking and depression problems. Why did she think it was a good idea to take care of a child in her state?

The child continued to cry, and the rain fell even harder. Uvogin scratched the back of his head. Now what? "So, yeah...what's your name?" The boy peeked out from behind his large sleeves, his eyes brimming with tears.

"M-my name is Shal...Shalnark." He hid again, his whole body shaking. Uvogin glanced back and fourth along the road. What was he supposed to do? He looked down at the book, which had wet edges, and smiled.

"Shalnark, you wanna...come with me?" Shalnark peeked out again, his crying ceasing for a second. Uvogin grinned. "I have some neat friends that would love to meet you." Shalnark lowered his arms, and quickly wiped his eyes.

"You'll have fun, promise." Shalnark stared at him, and his eyes welled up again. _Uh, oh, he's not gonna cry again, is he? _Suddenly, Shalnark ran into Uvo's arms, and hugged his neck tightly. He nodded his head into his shoulder.

Uvogin was shocked for a moment, but regained his composure, and, carefully holding Shalnark in his arms, stood up. He held Shalnark tightly. "It's alright." Shalnark shivered in his arms as he began back to the rest of the Spider.

Finally, a few minutes later of trekking through the mud, Uvogin reached a small hut where the Spiders were staying for the night. Candle light shone out of the small window, and from underneath the soaking red blanket that covered the door.

He reached for the blanket's edge, and pulled it aside, stepping inside. The air was cool, but dry. The original members, Chrollo and Pakunoda, Machi and Franklin, Nobunaga and Feitan, sat around near the walls.

Feitan was the first to notice. His eyes widened at the sight of what he was carrying. "Uvogin, why do you have a...thing?" Shalnark turned his head, and examined the room warily. The others looked up, Chrollo closing the one book he had.

Pakunoda gasped, and cooed. "Aww, he's precious." She stood up, and walked over. Shalnark squirmed, and reached his arms out towards her, and Uvogin placed him in her arms. He hugged her around the neck, and looked closely at her face. "...Pretty." Pakunoda giggled.

Chrollo glanced at Uvogin. "Did you get the book?" Uvogin nodded, and tossed it to him. Chrollo smirked, but Nobunaga scowled. "What about the KID?!" Pakunoda wagged her finger at him. "He has a name." Shalnark nodded. "Shalnark."

Chrollo smiled, and stood up. Walking over to Shalnark, he studied him for a few moments. "Shalnark...do you like Spiders?" Shalnark nodded his head, now sucking his thumb. Uvogin breathed out in relief. _At least he's comfortable. _

Chrollo smiled. "Good. You can be...the heart." With that, he sat down again, and opened his new book. Nobunaga looked around as the rest of the members returned to their previous activities. "That's it?!" Chrollo looked up at him.

"Yes. Shalnark can be the heart. He's young, and will be more than capable of keeping up with us – once we teach him." Nobunaga grumbled, but sat down, watching as Shalnark played peek-a-boo with Franklin.

Uvogin sat down beside him, and laughed. "Oh, come on, it can't be that bad." Nobunaga glared at him. "He's a kid, Uvogin. How on earth will he ever be helpful?" 


End file.
